Innovative Digital Education and Learning-New Mexico (IDEAL-NM) was created in response to the 2005 Performance and Accountability Contract, "Making Schools Work" to leverage technology. On October 27, 2006, the statewide e-learning program that would implement a shared e-learning infrastructure using a single statewide learning…

In an effort to provide graduate students at a distance with field-based learning experiences and evaluation resources to statewide Extension programs, 24 Master's students participating in a distance-delivered program evaluation course served as evaluation consultants for Extension programs. State evaluation specialists unable to conduct…

The Distance Learning Policy Laboratory of the Southern Regional Education Board (SREB) and many states and regional organizations are coming to a consensus on the principles and goals that should shape distance learning policies. In the case of quality assurance, the SREB believes there are four guiding principles that states should follow.…

This report summarizes information gathered during an interim study of the Schools' TeleLearning Service (STS), a cooperative effort of the Nebraska State Department of Education (NDE) and the Nebraska Educational Telecommunications Commission (NETC) to provide instructional television programming for students in Nebraska. The study, which sought…

This paper describes the Virginia Satellite Educational Network (VSEN) and reports the results of an assessment of the program. The purpose of the VSEN, which was developed after the 1988 approval of the Governor's Educational Technology Initiative, is to meet the educational needs of Virginia students, especially in small and rural areas, and to…

Documentation of the status of the University of Nebraska-Lincoln Television Department's Cable Television Communications Research Project is provided, along with a report of an evaluation which was undertaken both to determine the impact and effectiveness of the EduCable program service to cable system subscribers and to assess the viability of…

The distance education and instructional technology projects that have been undertaken in Alaska over the last decade are detailed in this paper. The basic services offered by the "Learn Alaska Network" are described in relation to three user groups: K-12 education; postsecondary education; and general public education and information.…

This paper examines the use of telecommunications in rural schools in the United States as a solution to the problems teachers face when they have small classes, five or six class preparations daily, extracurricular duties, and inadequate training for specific classes. Telecommunications in schools in Minnesota and Kansas and a Star Schools Model…

An evaluation was made of secondary and postsecondary vocational-technical education in North Dakota to review progress since the passage of Public Law 101-392 in that state. Some of the findings of the postsecondary evaluation are the following: (1) between 1991 and 1993, a unique statewide tech prep initiative was begun and is in its second…

This brief paper describes an innovative training project, the Augmentative, Assistive, and Facilitated Communication project, designed to enhance the capacity of school personnel to use alternative communication strategies with children having severe communication impairments. The project has provided training and technical assistance to school…

In 1992 and 1995, Iowa received statewide Star Schools grants to demonstrate the use of fiber-optic technology to provide live, two-way, full-motion interactive instruction which allows greater levels of interactivity than previous forms of distance instruction. The grant allowed the state to equip over 100 fully interactive video classrooms in…

One major component of the efforts to promote the use of technology and distance education in South Dakota and specifically of Phase III of the Connecting the Schools Project-an initiative announced in the spring of 1999 by Governor Janklow that built a statewide intranet among all 176 school districts--was a comprehensive evaluation activity. The…

With the advent of numerous Kansas two-way interactive television (ITV) clusters and compressed video sites, the state has set the standard in revolutionary communications methods in elementary and secondary education. Nine projects using ITV in Kansas are described. Most allow delivery of lessons to students in other communities or schools. The…

Educational technology planning and investment activities in the 15 states of the Southern Regional Education Board (SREB) area are described. Information was gathered through an informal telephone survey, brief state reports, and a recent survey of state contacts. States that currently have educational technology plans locate central authority…

This evaluation of the Ohio SchoolNet Telecommunity program focused on key Telecommunity objectives of technology deployment, teacher professional development, and student impact. Evaluation methods included use of the Scales of Concern Questionnaire in the application of the Concerns-Based Adoption Model, as well as visits to each of the 23…